Pistachio Apricot Biscotti

I made this Pistachio Apricot Biscotti for the Baking eggless group.Initially I was little sceptical as I had not tried baking a biscotti before.I used Flax seed as the egg replacer and the biscotti came out very well .The original recipe uses Orange Blossom water,a flavouring used in French and Middle eastern cuisine.I din't use Orange blossom water and also din't use any substitute for that.I just added a dash of extra vanilla and proceeded with the recipe. 
          I loved the mild orange flavour from the orange zest combined with the crunchy pista and soft apricots in between and the whole batch got emptied so quickly that I had to rush to take some photos.
          I just halved the ingredients from the original recipe and got around 15 biscotti plus few small pieces.Though the procedure sounds lengthy at first it is a simple recipe.Try it yourself and enjoy.

Ingredients:

All purpose flour	1 cup
Sugar	½ cup
Baking powder	1/2 tsp + a pinch
Salt	A pinch
Butter	50 gm(1/4 cup)
Orange zest	1 tblsp
Vanilla essence	1 tsp
Flax seed powder	1 tblsp
Pistachio	½ cup
Apricot chopped	½ cup

Method:

• Mix flax seed powder with 3 tablespoon warm water in a bowl and keep aside.
• Preheat oven to 180 °C.
• Sift Flour,salt and baking powder.
• Take the sugar in a bowl and rub orange zest to it till the sugar becomes moist.
• Take the butter(room temperature) and the sugar in a mixing bowl and beat well using an electric beater till fluffy.
• Add the vanilla essence and the prepared flax seed liquid and beat well for 2 mins.
• Now add the sifted flour to this and beat till it is just combined.Don't over beat. 
• Add the pista and chopped apricots and mix gently.
• I divided the mixture to two parts.Form two logs and slightly flatten using wet fingers.
• Place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 180°C for 25 mins till it turns slightly golden and is firm to touch.
• Cool on the sheet for 10 mins.Transfer to a cutting board and slice them into 1/2 inch pieces diagonally.Arrange the pieces with cut side down on the baking sheet and bake again at 170 °C for about 15 mins till they turn crispy.
• Once done cool completely and store in air-tight container.